Narabali: A rare case of human sacrifice.

With modern civilization and the rise in literacy, cases of human sacrifice are rarely encountered by forensic practitioners. Human sacrifice, also called 'Narabali' in India, involves an act of deliberately killing an individual due to ritualistic beliefs for the appeasement of the Gods, spirits, or ancestors. Human sacrifice and ritual murder are often considered synonymous, but ritual murder further involves offering the body part to the deity after killing. Diverse methods were historically adopted for human sacrifice across the globe, strongly influenced by their superstitious, religious, and cultural beliefs. Cases of human sacrifice mostly involve children. We report the rare case of human sacrifice involving an adult victim assaulted by a sharp weapon over the posterior aspect of the neck. The deceased succumbed due to the transection of the cervical spine and corresponding spinal cord. Corroboration of circumstances of death and profiles of the deceased and the perpetrator with autopsy findings were essential in the investigation. This case report discusses extreme superstitions and beliefs, resulting in homicide.

Delayed Death Due to Lightning: An Autopsy Case Report Highlighting Diagnostic and Medicolegal Issues.

The incidences of lightning strikes are not infrequent. The electric discharge of the lightning strike produces extreme heat and high amperage current, but fatality is reported in only about 10% to 30% of lightning cases. The spectrum of injuries due to lightning strikes can vary from no external injuries to typical external injuries. Merely the presence of superficial injuries due to lightning should not be considered sufficient to dismiss the case as non-serious. Rather clinicians should be wary of internal damage due to the effect of the lightning current as well as delayed complications of the lightning which can be fatal. Similarly, during an autopsy, the forensic pathologist should also investigate for the changes/damage in the internal organs due to the effect of lightning current. The present case reports the incidence of death due to delayed complications of a lightning strike which primary doctors initially overlooked. This case also discusses the histopathological changes in the internal organs due to lightning which can be helpful in the autopsy diagnosis of lightning, particularly in cases with no external or nonspecific injuries.

Ligature Strangulation in a Vehicular Accident Due to the Entanglement of a Shirt: An Autopsy Case.

Among the various types of asphyxial deaths, strangulation is one of the commonly encountered cases as structures in the neck make it vulnerable to fatality. In most such cases, ligature material, usually cloth, is used for the commission of the offense. Clothing may be associated with a wide range of both accidental and deliberately induced deaths. Accidental strangulation due to entrapment of the neck in clothing, especially in relation to vehicular accidents, has also been described in the literature, but these cases are mostly associated with long scarf-like clothing. Loose clothing and intoxication act as critical factors in entrapping the person in such an event. This case report highlights the rare occurrence of accidental strangulation due to the entanglement of clothing other than a long scarf consequent upon road traffic incident.

Anthropometry of the sternum: An autopsy-based study for sex determination.

Sex determination is one of the key components for establishing the individual's identity in forensic anthropology casework. It is a known fact that anthropometric assessment can have population-specific variations. The present autopsy study was conducted on the sterna of 102 cadavers (52 males and 50 females) of age more than 25 years at a tertiary care centre in Central India. Anthropometric measurements included the length of the manubrium (M), mesosternum (B) and combined length of manubrium and mesosternum (CL). Applicability of Hyrtl's law, Ashley's rule and the sternal index were also assessed for sex determination. A statistically significant correlation (p < 0.001) was observed between sternal measurements and the sex of the study population. The highest coefficient of correlation was seen between sex and the combined length (r = 0.726), followed by mesosternal length (r = 0.620), and manubrial length (r = 0.509). The difference between the means of the sternal index in males and females was not statistically significant (p > 0.05), and the difference between the means of the ratio of the body with manubrium in males and females for Hyrtl's law is also not found to be statistically significant (p > 0.05). It is concluded that the length of the body and the combined length of manubrium and mesosternum are valuable criteria for sexing the sternum in an adult population of Central India. The sternum can be useful for sex determination, particularly when bones like skull, pelvis, or long bones are not available or fragmented.